Manila: The Philippines government appears powerless in forcing motor tricycles to follow the law, as more of them continue to use the highways despite safety regulations restricting them to inner roads.
In February 2020, in an effort to clear the roads and make them safer to everyone, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) had reiterated that a 1964 law bans motor tricycles from national highways. It also issued new guidelines for its enforcement through a memorandum circular. Yet, motor tricycle drivers and operators continue to thumb their noses at authorities and flaunt the law without regard to their own safety and that of their passengers.
“We are prohibiting tricycles, pedicabs (pedal powered tricycles), and motorised pedicabs from plying national highways for the safety of drivers and commuters. It is also to decongest the traffic situation in many parts of the country where tricycles have been tolerated in national roads for the longest time by LGUs (Local Government Units),” Secretary Eduardo M. Año, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), said.
According to the Philippine National Police, there were 1,817 road accidents involving tricycles last year alone.
In provincial areas such as the City of Malolos in Bulacan province north of Manila, tricycles continue to zip and weave in and out of the road traffic at the Macarthur National Highway seemingly without regard to their own safety and that of their passengers.
The scene is replicated in other national highways across the country.
Not stable
Rigged from the typical motorcycle and powered only by a single-piston petrol engine, tricycles are not built for stability, let alone, speed. On roadways such as the Macarthur Highway, their motors labour to keep up with cars and other four-wheeled vehicles. A high speed passing buzz by a bus or truck could produce enough force to topple them or make them lose stability.
Yet, despite government concern for their safety, tricycle federations continue to oppose the government.
Last Monday, members of the National Confederation of Tricycle and Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (NACTODAP) filed a petition against the DILG rule on the use of roads.
They said the DILG rule restricting tricycles was “unjust.”
NACTODAP National President Ariel Lim said the motor tricycle ban prejudices the livelihood of tens of thousands of families who rely on this type of public conveyance to put food on the table every day.
Año for his part, said the DILG is ready to face NACTODAP in court.
“The restriction is neither pro-rich nor pro-poor. It is neutral because it serves all sectors, whether rich or poor. We want to keep everyone safe in our national roads and decongest the worsening traffic situation,” he said.
